FIREFLY
by Cloverless
Summary: Loss hurts, but for me, so does gaining. I had everything ripped away and in the same second, a new life of power was laid at my feet. Despite that, I still feel rancor for the little I lost. Now, I'll get revenge and try to gain understanding of my fate.


**Disclaimer: **All original Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) characters, stories, blah, blah, blah, belongs to their respective companies, creators, blah, blah, blah… All characters, events, so on and so forth, were made by me solely for this story and any artwork I may decide to do belong to me. Please ask me for permission if you decide to use them.

**Author notes: **I prefer to use the Troopers names over the Ronin ones, but please don't let that turn you off from this story! I choose to use the Japanese names over the English so that the titles of the new enemies would work out. Also, like many other stories, the names of the Armor and the person are used interchangeably. So, Korin and Seiji (or Sage) are the same person.

This story takes place a few months after the Message OVA, so the boys have new yoroi and are entering adulthood. (Shin's already in college.) If you're unfamiliar with the plot behind Message, don't worry. I specifically tried to write this story in a way that even those unfamiliar with the storyline could enjoy it. If you still want to know what happens in Message, I recommend getting on a webpage like the still up but no longer updating Yoroiden Temple. Theria there has summaries of all the OVAs. That's the webpage I look up most of my information.

I hate Mary Sues. They're flat, uninteresting, and all to often a waste of space or just a simple plot device. When I come up with a lead female, I try to give her a developed personality and keep her interesting. I will try to do this with the main character in this story, as she's very important and a huge part of the story is told from her point of view. And besides, for the most part, she's evil.

**Notes on Part 1: **Okay, no appearance of the Troopers, but all the necessary background on the girl to get the story rolling. This is more of a prologue than anything. The next chapter will seriously pick up on the action, I promise.

**FIREFLY **

**Part 1**

**Lotus**

I think I might have been dreaming, but I can't tell anymore.

_Damn flower._

Can I tell of anything anymore? Everything fades in and out, like a lighthouse beacon on the water.

_More like a bug zapper._

Ever since that day, the day the woman with red hair appeared, I haven't been myself. No one has.

_That beam was like a bug zapper. The one that made the flower._

I have more dreams than before, not that I'm complaining. Dreams are a good source for artist inspiration.

_Came down on that old shrine and… zap! Everyone and everything was nothing but ash!_

But those dreams are too vivid to be just an everyday dream. I see memories… and none of them are mine.

_Everything but… the flower… and…_

I see a five boys fighting for everything. For the whole world. I feel their hearts, their pain, and their joy.

_Me._

They protected all that they loved. They were each other's irreplaceable friends.

_Were my irreplaceable friends less important than theirs?_

I feel their power.

_I have that power._

A little over a year ago, my two best friends and I were going on a camping trip as part of preparation for graduation. We were going to Hokkaido to take in the scenery, find inspiration, and to work on some art pieces.

_Or, at least, that was _my_ excuse to escape._

"Today is the day!" Noriko said while dancing in her seat. Her normally loose dark curls were pulled into a high ponytail bouncing with every movement she made. It's sole purpose seemed to be just to emphasize her excitement. "Freedom from the crazy director!"

Michiru shuffled a deck of cards, laughing at Noriko's antics, like usual. She chimed in, "No crazy singing coach!"

I sighed, unable to share their joy. "I never get to leave…" I complained.

"Poor thing," Michiru said, pushing her short hair behind her ear. "You have to sketch while you're here, don't you?"

I nodded. "I'm not disappointed about sketching. I would have whether I was required to or not. It's just that I wouldn't have been able to come without my patrons' permission. I never get to leave them."

Noriko crossed her arms, looking serious. "So, you get to sketch a tree while we pitch the tents and cook the meals?"

"Yep." She pouted at my response, which made Michiru and I burst into more laughter.

You see, these two girls and I were the closest of friends. We each attended the Hiryuu Academy of Arts, a very prestigious school that taught kids from kindergarten to college. The three of us were in the group of students that had always gone to Hiryuu.

In earlier classes, everyone is lumped together. By seventh grade, students pick out their specializations. Michiru chose music. Noriko choose drama. I choose painting. Also, unlike them, I have a patron to support me for my school fees, apartment, and anything else I need.

Art was pretty much my life, but I didn't think about it that much.

We had decided that we would go hiking the next day and find a nice spot for a picnic. The day was bright and beautiful. Thick and cottony clouds floated by. The summer sun shone bright and hot. Birds of all sorts were calling back and forth hidden in the trees. It felt like paradise.

We were all singing popular music (Michiru blowing Noriko and I out of the water, of course), skipping around, taking pictures, and complaining about the school life of a teenage girl. Really nothing was different from how we normally act, it was just a drastic change of scenery from Tokyo and Hiryuu.

As we went our way, it sounded like we were approaching a waterfall. The chance to not only see but also draw and paint an actual waterfall in the middle of a forest was an opportunity I refused to pass up. Noriko complained of hunger and Michiru suggested that we eat by the waterfall so that I could draw and eat. We happily agreed on such a plan

_Why did I have to be so interested in a waterfall? _

It was at the waterfall where we first discovered the decrepit shrine. It sat lonely on the cliff near the rushing water, the one sign that humans ever laid foot on the soil of the otherwise untouched forest.

It really wasn't much of a shrine at all. It was small and unusually square. The shingles on its roof were damaged and cracked to bits in some places. The color in the four pillars on each corner was a faded red and the posts held the same worn and old damage as the roof. The paper walls filled with holes from mold and tear.

Both Noriko and Michiru wanted nothing to do with the place but, blame it on my curiosity and my artful eyes, I wanted a closer look.

"You two can go on, I know the trail back," I assured.

Noriko frowned. "You're nuts. It looks like it could fall any second!"

"I know," I said bluntly. "But that's one reason to check it out now, so that in case it does fall, I'll known what it looked like inside."

Noriko didn't like that. "Why would you want to look at such a creepy old thing?"

Michiru waved her off. "I don't want to get any closer either, but, I know what you want to do," she directed her words to me. "You want to draw it." I shrugged, leading her to sigh. "If you're sure you know the trail, we're going further down the stream." She pointed away from the waterfall toward the where the water disappeared in the woods.

I nodded. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"See you later, then," Michiru before Noriko practically dragged her away.

"Don't let yourself get hurt!" Noriko called back before they both faded into the thick brush.

_It's strange. That was the last time I saw either of them. _

The shrine was in even more disrepair than I originally thought. It _did_ look as if it were about to collapse any second. The smell of mold was strong and the appearance of the old building reflected it. Even the natural smells couldn't dampen the awful stench. I covered my mouth with one hand and held tightly to the shoulder strap of my pack with the other.

I found the sliding door on the opposite side of the shrine. It was cracked open just slightly enough for me to peek inside. There were many painted scrolls hung from the walls. Now, I _was _interested.

I took the edge of the sliding door. The wood felt moist and weak, as if it could just disintegrate in my hands. Taking extreme care, I slowly slid the door open, only just enough for my thin form to slip inside.

_Youja…_

There were twelve of them. Five on the right wall, four on the left, and three on the one ahead. Each scroll was in much better condition than the shrine itself. They all held the image of an armored warrior in the heat of battle. Every one of them was different except for two on the wall ahead of me. The armors pictured were identical, but one was white, the other black. The third scroll was hung between them, picturing a tall and menacing armor leading a huge army, obviously some sort of ruler.

_An evil one at that._

Taking into further account how the scrolls on my right were drawn considerably lighter than the ones to my left, I started to understand a light and dark idea that whoever hung them had. I blinked wondering what to do next: Try to draw pictures from the scrolls, which could take hours, or run after the girls.

Suddenly, the door slid open with a loud crash. I nearly jumped the entire length of the shrine before turning, half expecting the girls to be standing there and start yelling at me to head back to camp with them.

Sheepishly, I began, "Sorry, let's go-" I froze.

_Don't scream. _

"You must stay here," it said, its voice distinctively male. "He" was some sort of monk, I could tell by the clothing, but his face was gaunt and yellow and his eyes were barely more than a pair of angry looking slits centered in bulging eye sockets.

"Wha…?" I struggled to speak, but my voice wasn't cooperating under that sudden shock.

He stepped inside, shutting the door in the same abrupt way he opened it. My throat knotted, I realized that unless I wanted to attempt throwing myself through a moldy wall, I was trapped.

_The intimidating priest of demons._

"Sit, child," he said. I dropped to the floor as soon as the words registered. It was less sitting down and more like my legs gave out. "Since you are the only one to enter this sacred place," he continued, "I assume that you must be the only one able to handle the yoroi."

"…Yoroi?" I asked, scrambling up so that I could face him.

"Yes," he said as he sat down himself, his legs crossed over as if he were ready to begin meditating. "The sacred armor that my deceased master once wore."

"Armor? Master?" Despite his forceful entrance and common sense, I found myself trusting the monk. "Please, start explaining some of this to me!"

He smiled. (It looked like a smile, at least.) "Of course. I am Badamon, and my late master was the great Arago. " He reached his hand up and pointed a thin wrinkled finger toward the large scroll centered on the wall behind me.

I blinked. "Then I was right," I mused, "It was a great ruler."

"Yes, the greatest of them all… However!" He shifted his hand toward the white armor beside it and in one sweeping motion, pointed to each of the lighter armors. "The children who took hold of these armors, but fragments of Arago-sama's, defeated him! Children!" Disbelief was evident in his voice. Badamon turned to the opposite wall. "The men who used these armors were supposed to fight along side Arago-sama, but they turned on him. It was their combined effort that destroyed him."

I blinked. "What do I have to do with any of this?"

He smiled and said, "Do not worry yourself. You will know soon enough.' Badamon then stood, his form towering over me. "I have a gift for you."

I perked up. "Really? A gift?"

"Yes." Badamon held out a small, white lotus blossom.

I smiled and took it. "Thank you."

Badamon, despite his hideousness, lightened his expression a bit. "Stay here for now. Everything will come to you shortly."

"But, I need to get back to camp-"

"Do not worry," he interrupted. "In fact, I'll go get your friends right now."

"Oh… Okay."

With that, Badamon turned and left, opening and closing the door with the same dangerous slams as he did when he entered. I examined the flower I now held and wondered what was going on. I deduced that I must daydream to much.

_It happened. It really did. I still wonder why I didn't run away screaming bloody murder. Maybe the armor was my destiny and that's why I didn't leave._

I stood up with the intention of leaving the shrine when everything began to glow. The walls to the shrine at once caved in, me finally screaming in fear. But I didn't die. Everything else did.

Watching over the massive dome of light, the spirit of Badamon laughed before fading away forever.

_Preview for Part 2..._

_They each had a good deal of power, but all of it was useless, I didn't need any of it. Not for what I was going to do to them. All except the power the Ancient left behind, but even then, could I grasp it?_


End file.
